ACADA

Friday, 14 September 2012

LASG To Introduce Chinese Language In Public Schools

Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye,
said on Monday that the state government would introduce Mandarin, or Chinese
language, in public schools’ curriculum as from next session.

Oladunjoye said this in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Public
Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Lanre Bajulaiye, and made newsmen

The commissioner said this after a meeting with the delegation from the
Chinese Confucius Institute, University of Lagos.

She said that learning the language in the state’s public schools
would be an opportunity for the pupils and students to speak the language and be
able to adapt to the Chinese culture.

Prof. Caleb Orimoogunje, Director of the Institute, said the institution was
ready to assist the state with necessary logistics to make the teaching and
learning of the language easier.

Orimoogunje added that Prof. Lirong Jiang, a co-director of the institute,
would help in the take-off of the programme.

Jiang said the institute, as a representative of the Chinese culture in
Nigeria, was set up to satisfy people’s need about the country’s culture.

She noted that the language became necessary because China had become the
new destination for economic growth and technological development.

“The Institute is prepared to provide Chinese instructors to teach the
language and culture in the state’s public schools as soon as the Memorandum of
Understanding is signed between the state and the institute.

“The knowledge of Chinese language will help students to further their
studies in China and carry out research in various fields of human endeavour as
China has become a success story in the world economy,“ she said.